Quote:
Originally Posted by Lefties Rule
She also has chronic bronchitis, and when I took her in 6 months ago, the vet prescribed very low dose Predisolone for 2 weeks, and then a 1/2 dose Pred every other day. I really, really didn't want to do this, but decided to give it a try, and now her bronchitis symptoms are virtually gone. Her maintenance Pred dose is 2.5 mg every other day. I'm telling you this, because growler is asking how she's feeling overall. On her Pred days she's a little perkier, has a little more energy and playfulness, and her appetite is somewhat better. On non-Pred days, not so much. But she does seem to be doing fairly well generally, physically and emotionally. Every week or so, she will vomit (once), but that seems to happen mainly when she's eaten a bit too much volume, and usually it's kibble.
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Good that overall she is feeling well & her appetite is picking up
Is there a dramatic difference between pred/non-pred days or is it just noticable?
Is she taking any other medications?
I would suggest raising her food & water dishes up between 2-6 inches off the ground, place a phonebook, low plant table, upsidedown flat box etc under the dishes but ensure they won't slip off & startle her while eating/drinking. Raising the dishes will help avoid nausea from excess stomach acid in the future & may help with the vomiting now.
Pred has a tendency to increase stomach acid which often will lead to nausea & vomiting, raising the dishes places the cats head higher than their stomach keeping the acid in the stomach & out of the throat. If a cat is experiencing nausea it will dissuade them from eating, which can lead to more complications.
Ideally kidney cats should not be on any corticosteriods as they can lead to a host of other issues, but if that is the only/best thing to treat the bronchitis you & your vet will need to monitor the dosage/side effects closely
http://www.felinecrf.org/treatments.htm#corticosteroids
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lefties Rule
I watch her like a hawk, and I've sort of trained her to drink water from my drinking glass, which she thinks is fun, and encourage her to drink this way several times a day, and always right after she eats dry kibble. The amazing thing about this is she actually usually does. I expected a fair amount of resistance to this.
As for her diet now, she eats both wet and dry, and I mix it up a lot to keep her interest up. I have her on:
MediCal Mature dry kibble (she will not eat Medical kidney formula), and some MediCal Mature canned.
Hill's Geriatric dry and canned - these are actually formulas made for cats with early stage kidney disease. Okay, I've run out of space, so will write more soon!
Rosebud's mom  |
As mentioned the canned foods below are all low in phos & are more healthy alternatives with higher
quality protein & ingredients than the prescription foods.
One problem with the prescription foods is there is very little quality meat protein, kidney cats will lose muscle mass especially if their appetites drop, if there is not sufficient meat based protein in their diets they become weaker. Once they start losing weight it is harder to put it back on.
The theory of low protein diets for kidney cats is outdated, low phos is what you need to look for in food but not at the cost of quality ingredients.
Some reading on protein & CRF here:
http://www.felinecrf.org/nutritional...ts.htm#protein
All cats, but most especially ones with urinary tract or kidney issues need to be fed exclusively canned or raw food, & no dry krunchies. Most of their moisture should come from their food, as their ancestry/biology shows, moisture is retained more effectively when ingested with the food. (Same with people - if you drank 2 cups of water it's going to move through you faster than if you ate 2 cups of cream soup). If fed a mostly dry krunchie diet the cats aren't retaining as much moisture, and the need to drink rises as the level of dehydration increases.
Biologically cats are structured to require drinking very little water as they retain & recycle much of the water/fluid content in their bodies. The cats kidneys are unique in that they concentrate liquid waste and remove the toxins (urea etc) with the least amount of water possible (one reason cat pee smells quite strong, it's highly concentrated), the rest of the water is cleaned so it may be used again elsewhere in the body.
When a cat developes kidney failure the kidneys can no longer clean & reuse as much water as before, this leads to needing more water to flush the toxins from the body via urine output. Losing more necessary water in their urine means there is less moisture cycling though their body, therefore they need to drink to compensate, but already being low they can't possible drink enough to replensh what is being continually lost.
Quote:
Originally Posted by growler
Here is a variety of good holistic low phos foods for you to start. Wellness, Innove, Evo are pate for the others check the label on the can
By Nature Organics Turkey & Turkey Liver, Chicken & Chicken Liver, Turkey & Chicken, Chicken & Mackerel, Beef & Beef Liver
Innova Flex Beef & Barley Stew
Evo 95% Chicken & Turkey
Felidae Platinum
Felidae Cat & Kitten
Felidae Grain Free
Merricks Before Grain 96% Beef
Merricks Before Grain 96% Turkey
Merricks Cowboy Cookout
Merricks Thanksgiving Day Dinner
Halo Spots Stew Wholesome Chicken
Halo Spots Stew Wholesome Turkey
Wellness Turkey, Chicken, Beef & Chicken, Beef & Salmon, Kitten, Wellness Core Chicken Turkey & Chicken Liver
Holistic Select Turkey & Barley
Holistic Select Duck & Chicken
Many more choices listed here http://www.felinecrf.org/canned_food...od_data_tables |